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Graduate Student Opportunities in Research Labs in EEB

Information for Prospective Students

The Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution & Behavior (EEB) links faculty and students interested in the biology of organisms from molecules to ecosystems. Studies address questions from molecular mechanisms of evolution, the interactions of organisms in social groups and populations, the distributions and abundances of species in communities and ecosystems, to global biogeochemical processes.

The program provides broad training in the general areas of ecology, evolution, and animal behavior, and specialized courses and research in vertebrate and invertebrate zoology; behavior and ethology; evolution; population genetics; molecular evolution; systematics; population, community and ecosystem ecology; global ecology, limnology, paleoecology, ecology of vegetation, and theoretical ecology.

Opportunities for field research are available in Africa, Alaska, Central America, and other parts of the world, as well as in local ecosystems. Seminars and individually designed tutorials are an important part of student programs and provide an exciting intellectual environment.

Graduate faculty members are drawn from the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior; Applied Economics; Civil Engineering; Entomology; Fisheries and Wildlife; Forest Resources; Genetics and Cell Biology; Geology and Geophysics; Horticultural Science; Plant Biology; Plant Pathology; Soil, Water, and Climate; Veterinary Pathobiology; and the Medical School.

Students admitted to the Ph.D. program must have outstanding credentials and seek a career in research. Those admitted for the Master's degree must also have a strong academic background, but may have a variety of career goals that require advanced training in ecology, evolution, or behavior. Both thesis and non-thesis options are available for Master's candidates.

New students are admitted to the graduate program for the Fall semester.

The University of Minnesota, one of the top three publicly funded research institutions in the United States, is located in the heart of the Twin Cities. Founded in 1851 by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature, the University is unusual in combining a state land-grant institution with a major metropolitan research university. This provides an extraordinary concentration of intellectual resources, including internationally prominent schools of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences; Natural Resources; Law; Medicine; and Technology. The program has 58 Ecology, Evolution & Behavior graduate faculty, with 35 from the core EEB Department and Bell Museum of Natural History; it provides an intellectually stimulating research environment for students, postdocs, and faculty.

Statement on Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is against the law. It is prohibited by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and by the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Sexual harassment is broadly defined to include behavior which is not considered overtly sexual. Although not specifically prohibited, consenting sexual relationships between faculty and student, or supervisor and employee, are actively discouraged. The University of Minnesota has had a strongly enforced policy on sexual harassment since 1981 and encourages the reporting of violations. Call 612-624-9547 for additional information.

Statement of Equal Opportunity and Diversity

University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

The Graduate School and Educational Psychology Department embrace the University of Minnesota’s position that promoting and supporting diversity among the student body is central to the academic mission of the University. A diverse student body enriches graduate education by providing a multiplicity of views and perspectives that enhance research, teaching, and the development of new knowledge. A diverse mix of students promotes respect for, and opportunities to learn from, others with the broad range of backgrounds and experiences that constitute modern society. Higher education trains the next generation of leaders of academia and society in general, and such opportunities for leadership should be accessible to all members of society. The Graduate School and its constituent graduate programs are therefore committed to providing equal access to educational opportunities through recruitment, admission, and support programs that promote diversity, foster successful academic experiences, and cultivate the leaders of the next generation.